The Avengers (film)
The Avengers is a 2013 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was directed by Shane Black and stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Evangelline Lilly, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, Elena Satine, Daniel Brühl, Tim Roth, Mickey Rourke, Cobie Smulders, Nathan Fillion, Karl Urban, Samuel L. Jackson, and Paul Rudd. It was released on May 3, 2013. Plot In Asgard, a cell holds Amora, Skurge, and Loki. One of the four guards turns on his fellow workers and kills the three other guards. He then sets the three criminals free. The latter three hijack the Bifrost Bridge and escape to Earth to invade but not before Loki's adoptive brother Thor can follow them. In New York City, a portal opens in the sky and Amora, Skurge, and Loki land, followed by an army of Rock Trolls. Tony Stark/Iron Man arrives to stop them along with Bruce Banner/Hulk. The two heroes are sent flying away by Amora. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Maria Hill, Cameron Klein, and Director Nick Fury see this from their Helicarrier and rescue the two heroes. Tony and Bruce meet Steve Rogers/Captain America, Janet van Dyne/Wasp, Hank Pym/Ant-Man, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and T'Challa/Wakanda. Together, the seven heroes attempt to stop the invasion. Amora reveals to Loki that she plans to rule Earth herself and sends him back to Asgard. She then recruits villains, Emil Blonsky/Abomination, Anton Vanko/Crimson Dynamite, Simon Williams/Wonder Man, and Baron Helmut Zemo, who has recently awoken from his cryogenic state. The six villains dub themselves the "Masters of Evil" and continue the invasion. Thor lands in a corn field in Pearl River. Thor flies to New York City and faces the villains, but is defeated quickly. Thor then finds the S.H.I.E.L.D. heroes and joins them to stop the Masters of Evil and the Rock Trolls. Janet comes up with the name the Avengers and they all agree on it. The heroes are attacked by Crimson Dynamite and Wonder Man. Clint and Janet are captured. Thor leaves the team to try to convince Amora to stop. Thor is unsuccessful in this, but Amora manages to mind control Thor into attacking the heroes. Hulk snaps him out of it. Hank, Tony, and Steve arrive at Amora's base ship and find their fellow heroes. However, Zemo appears and Steve and him go one-on-one. Tony and Hank free Clint and Janet but must leave Steve behind. As the invasion goes on, T'Challa, Hulk, and Thor rescue citizens attacked by the Rock Trolls. Maria is able to shut down the portal with the help of Steve, who is inside the ship. Together, the Avengers stop the remaining forces and capture Wonder Man. Amora, Zemo, and Executioner continue as a team, but go into hiding, while Abomination and Crimson Dynamite escape custody but leave the team. The Avengers go their seperate ways but decide that whenever there is a threat like the one they just stopped, they'll be back. In a mid-credits scene, the Rock Trolls reveal to their bosses, the Skrulls, that they lost the fight. In a post-credits scene, Fury and Maria send Hank with a gift; the parts to begin building an AI that Hank had been talking about. Cast *Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man; CEO of Stark Industries. *Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America; a soldier from 1944. *Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk; a scientist. *Chris Hemsworth as Thor; an Asgardian "god". *Evangelline Lilly as Janet van Dyne/Wasp; Hank Pym's wife. *Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther; the leader of Wakanda. *Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye; a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and archer. *Elena Satine as Amora; an Asgardian enchantress. *Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo; a 1944 HYDRA leader. *Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky/Abomination; a supervillain freed by Amora. *Mickey Rourke as Anton Vanko/Crimson Dynamite; a new criminal from Russia. *Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill; the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. *Nathan Fillion as Simon Williams/Wonder Man; a former board member of Stark Industries. *Karl Urban as Skurge; Amora's executioner. *Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury; the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. *Paul Rudd as Hank Pym/Ant-Man; the founder of Pym Particles. Reception 'Box office' The Avengers grossed $409 million (33%) in the United States and Canada and $805.8 million (67%) in other territories for a total of $1.2 billion. The second highest-grossing 2012 film, the third highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, out of fifteen. It achieved a worldwide opening weekend of $372.5 million. 'Critical reception' The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 79% approval rating with an average rating of 7/10 based on 292 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "With a star-studded cast and amazing action and dialogue, The Avengers proves to be one of the strongest Marvel films ever."